New Home Developments

The blanc canvas

In praise of all-white interiors - much more interesting than you think By Sydney Loney

Kitchen designed by Farrow & Ball: A white backdrop has a soothing quality and great for adding in textures and accents.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, National Post

White decor is not for everyone, says Tania Richardson, a principal partner with Tomas Pearce Interior Design in Toronto. "It's really sort of a lifestyle thing."

But where white does work well is way above ground, where condo dwellers tend to want to create a contemporary feel and capitalize on their wide-open spaces. Ms. Richardson has done a lot of all-white interiors in condos across the city. "When the average suite is only about 650 square feet, doing everything white helps create volume and makes a smaller space seem larger and more liveable," she says.

Of course, there are issues of practicality when you're planning to work with white. "I recently did a living room in white, but the couple always wore dark jeans and the dye rubbed off on the furniture," she says. "It's important to think about how you're going to use the space and the pieces you're going to live on."

Despite having both a child and a dog, Ms. Richardson went with white in her own loft. "I like the purity and simplicity of it," she says. "There's a certain cleanliness and elegance to an all-white environment." (She just uses Scotch Guard on white upholstery and adds an extra coat of paint to white walls. "They require a little more maintenance and when you're scrubbing them more often you can lose a layer of paint fairly quickly.")

Heather Shaw also lives in an all-white home in Toronto with her husband, two boys (ages six and eight) and two cats (black and tabby). The walls are white, the furnishings are white and the decor, for the most part, is white. "I can't even imagine not getting into white sheets at night," Ms. Shaw says.

While some might feel that cat fur and kids' fingers wouldn't be the best combination in such a lightly hued home, Ms. Shaw doesn't think of her preferred palette as having an absence of colour. "There are so many shades that there's really no such thing as a true white," says the Toronto textile artist. "I probably have 10 different off-whites in my home."

As for keeping things clean, Ms. Shaw says it's never been a problem. There are slipcovers on the upholstery, the kitchen stools are vinyl and the dining chairs are waxed linen, so she just wipes them clean. "Besides, I like to know when things are dirty," she says.

From a decor perspective, Ms. Shaw says white works well because it's a handy way to hide imperfections. For instance, her kitchen contains a mismatched collection of cabinets that a few coats of white paint quickly tied together. "You can't go wrong with white," Ms. Shaw says. "And it works in any room."

That's the nice thing about neutrals - they can be incredibly versatile, says Sarah Cole, director at Farrow & Ball in the U.K. There's a reason so many model suite walls are left neutral. "People generally feel comfortable with whites because they're easy to live with and can be used to great effect,

whether in a downtown condo or a lakeside cottage," Ms. Cole says. Although there are a few important tricks to making white work.

"Using just one white throughout a unit, or even within a room, can make it look flat," says Ms. Cole. "It's better to layer neutrals to add depth and interest and to create a more 'coloured' scheme." Farrow & Ball has 30 off-whites in its palette, all of which can be used as complementary neutrals to other colours, or as colours in their own right, she says. "There's a white to fit every room and style."

Another good thing about white is that it's a natural light reflector, so it's ideal in smaller suites where you want to create a feeling of light and space. "This is particularly true in west-facing rooms, where white enhances both natural and artificial light and gives you a wonderful airy feeling," Ms. Cole says. Using white on walls also gives you the option of adding low-level lighting, which re-flects off white to softly brighten the space, as opposed to being absorbed by a coloured wall.

For suites with large windows and lots of natural light, Ms. Richardson says window treatments are a must, especially when you're working with white. "In a condo you need blinds for privacy no matter what, but you should also have drapery to add some warmth, even if it's just decorative side panels."

The biggest risk to going with a white interior is it can make a condo feel cold and stark if it's not done right. The key, Ms. Richardson says, is to include a mix of textures to make a white room feel warmer. "White is hard, so it's important to add soft, textural elements to balance it." She likes using a variety of fabrics, such as lush velvet or chenille, along with silk, linen, leather and vinyl. "The secret is not to have everything in the same fabric. The materials should have some shimmer and some low-lustre at the same time."

Ms. Richardson also recommends adding layers of texture with area carpets, wallpaper, or white-on-white patterns that create areas of depth and shadow. And it helps to decorate a white room with a mix of accessories, including glass, ceramic, mirrors and crystal to add sparkle to the space.

For Ms. Shaw, a white palette provides the perfect backdrop for her nature-inspired decor. "White blends in nicely with more natural materials like wood, glass, metal, plants and twigs," she says. "I like form and being able to see the shapes of things, so not having a lot of colour in my home allows for the textures and qualities of the materials I use to stand out."

Ms. Shaw adds that the allwhite interior of her home makes it a gentle, soothing space. "The world is overwhelming enough as it is with too much visual information to take in," she says. "I wanted to make my home as calm and tranquil as possible and that's why I went with white."

Who says white is boring? The luxurious bathroom was designed by Tania Richardson of Tomas Pearce Interior Design.

White offers a soothing quality, but look closely to see a few different tones of it used in each room. All rooms by Farrow & Ball (which has 30 whites on its colour card) except top right kitchen by Tania Richardson of Tomas Pearce Design.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Househunting Newsletter

Receive the latest in real estate news, decorating and renovating tips every two weeks in the househunting.ca newsletter.